Latch



y 6, .3 v A. F. LICKTEIG 15,358,934

LATCH Filed April 21, 1930 2 Sheet-Sheet 1 July 26, 1932- A. F.-LICKTEIG LATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 21, 1930 R0011 r (Albeit TE L'xcWfe'x Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NATIONAL BRASS 00., or MICHIGAN LATCH Application filed April 21,

This invention relates to door latches of the type shown in Patent No. 1,697,950, issued January 8, 1929, to Lucian A. Dexter.

In the structure illustrated in said patent to Dexter, the latch is. operated by door knobs at each side of the door, the usual operating square bar extending through the door with a knob connected to the bar at each end. The present invention is concerned with a novel operating means for one side of the door, the outer side, wherein the door knob is dispensed with and the latch bolt is retracted through operation of a thumb lever, while at the same time the latch is operable from the other or inner side of the door by a, knob the same as before.

In order to secure such change of opera,- tion of the latch bolt, various novel changes in construction and assembly and arrangement of parts is necessitated and worked out to provide a practical, simple and eficient construction for operating the latch in the manner described, as. will fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary edge view of a door showing the latch installation thereon and the operating means for the latch at the opposite sides of the door.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section through the door and latch, the plane of the section being parallel to the vertical edge of the door.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the door substantially in the plane of the latch installation.

Fig. 4 is an inside elevation of the housing plate on which the thumb lever operating means for the latch bolt is mounted.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section through the latch, illustrating the changes in construction over that shown in the prior Dexter patent to which reference has been made.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the associated parts of the latch bolt housed within the housing therefor as shown in Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 6 showing the parts thereof separated.

Like reference characters refer to like '13 and at its side edges with 1930. Serial No. 445,928.

parts in the diiferent figures of the drawings.

The door 1, for the installation of the latch structure, has a cylindrical opening 2 bored therein at its free vertical edge in which the latch bolt structure is inserted. Said latch structure includes a housing of tubular shape, preferably consisting of two half cylindrical members 3, which when placed together form a cylinder, closed at the inner end by a cap 4 and at the outer end by a cap 5 with which a plate 6 is attached, adapted to be screw connected to the door at its edge as shown in Fig. 1 thereby securely mounting the latch bolt housing within the opening 2.

Viithin the housing made up of the parts 3, 4 and 5 the latch bolt structure is mounted. This includes a member of flat metal having spaced upper and lower sides 7 con nected at their inner ends by an integral cross. bar 8, while a disc 9 is permanently secured at the front ends, said disc being slotted from one edge inwardly to its center. The inner edges of the bars are of toothed form as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. Associated with this member, which is a part of the operating means of the latch bolt, is the latch bolt proper having an outer latching head 10 to which a rod 11 is permanently secured and which extends inwardly therefrom. Said rod at its inner end has a flat metal member 12 permanently connected therewith. The member 12 is of circular out line except that at its upper and lower edges it is provided with inwardly extending slots outwardly eX- tending wings 14. A. coiled spring 15 is located around the rod 11.

In assemblying the two parts of the latch bolt construction described, the spring 15 is compressed and the rod 11, which is fiattended at an intermediate point, is inserted through the slot in disc 9, while the slots 13 receive the upper and lower members 7 described, as shown in Fig. 6. The spring 11 is therefore disposed between the latch head 10 and the disc 9, while the member 12 is located back of the disc 9 and is slidably guided on the parts 7 A coiled compression spring16 is located between the inner cap 4 and the cross mem- .ti.

., the outer ends of the in the housing 3 ,1 er it has passed through her 8 as shown in Fig. 5, the tendency of which is to force the latch bolt outwardly so that the latching head 10 will project through an opening made therefor in the plate 6. Operating discs 17, having pins 18 between them, through which a square operating bar 19 passes and with which a knob 20 at the inner side of the door is connected, serve to retract the latch bolt structure against the force of the spring 16 by the pins 18 engaging the teeth shown at the inner sides of the bar 7. The housing 3 at its opposite sides is formed with openings, indicated at 21 (Fl 8) through which wings 1e extend.

The construction so far described is like that shown in the prior patent to Dexter, except that the member 12 with its outwardly extending wings 14c and the openings 21 are new in the present construction, while the square operating bar 19 does not extend through the door so as to have a knob at each end but has a knob at one end only, the bar 19 terminating aftthe housing 3, as shown in Fig. 3. It is evident that on turning the knob 20 the latch belt may be retracted to free the door on which the latch is mounted for swinging movement the same as in the prior construction.

At the outer side of the door a housing plate 22 is adapted to be secured by screws or equivalent "fastening means. A handle 23 is fixed to the plate and depends therefrom,

- a screw 2i threading into the handle from the inner side of the housing plate Spaced apart ears 25 extend outwardly from the housing plate immediately above the handle, between which a thumb ever 26 is pivotay mounted having an inwardy ext-ending end 26a which passes through an opening in the housing plate.

An operating member 27 in the form of a flat sector of metal is pivotally mounted at its lower end on a boss at the inner side of the housing plate, as shown in Fig. 2, to permit free pivotal movement of said sector. An opening 28 is made through the member 27 having upwardly converging sides 28a. The

inner end 26a of the thumb lever 26 passes into the opening 28 as shown in Fig. 1. A. finger 29 is bent at right angles and ext-ends inwardy through an opening or passage 80 made in the door 1, and at its inner end passes between the disc 9 and the member 12 secured to the inner end of the rod 11. This is shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

An are shaped slot 30 is made in the upper end of the member 27 through which a narrowed extension 31 at the end of the knob bar 19 passes, its end 32 (Fig. seating in a recess at the inner side of the housing plate. This permits and governs the proper location of the housing plate with reference to the latch bolt structure. In addition, in

order that the thumb lever 26 shall not drop down or rattle or have aimless movement, a light wire spring 33 (Fig. 1) is secured at the inner side of the housing plate, the end portions crossing above the inner end 26a of the lever to normally keep said inner end of the lever in its lowest position.

It is e 'ident that on grasping the handle 28, placing the thumb upon the outer end of the thumb lever 26 and moving said outer end of the thumb lever downwardly, the inner end 260; of the lever will ride against the inclined side 28a of the opening 28 and thereby turn the member 27 about the axis of the screw 24; whereupon finger 29, engaging with the member 12, will move the latch bolt inwardly against the spring 15, which is of comparatively slight strength, so that the door may be opened. As soon as the thumb lever is released the spring 15 serves to project the latch bolt to its normal outer position.

The construction described is one which for a period of nearly two years has been marketed with success and has proved its practicability. The construction lends itself to the installation on doors whether the same swing to the right or to the left, as the thumb lever opening structure and the mounting therefor may be secured to the door irrespective of its direction of swing. The wings 14:, extending in both directions from the axis of the housing 3, permit this ready installation for either right or left hand swinging doors. The only change which has to be made for one door over the other is in the operating plate 27, in which for a door swinging in the opposite direction the finger 29 is at the opposite upper corner of the sector 27. The flanges on the housing plate 22 insure the requisite space between the door and inner side of the plate to receive the mechanism mounted therein without necessity of cutting any recess in the door to receive parts, such as the head of the screw 24:.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is-to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. In combination with a door, a latching bolt slidably mounted within said door between its sides and adapted to project outwardly at the edge of the door, spring means acting on said bolt to project its outer end a distance beyond the edge of the door, a housing plate secured to a side of the door, a lever pivotally mounted on and in front of the door to turn about a horizontal axis and having a portion thereof extending through the housing plate, an operating member having an opening therein with an inclined side located at the inner side of the plate, the end portion of said lever extending into said opening, means for pivotally mounting the operating member at its lower end on said housing plate, and a finger extending from the said operating member through the door to the latching bolt and engaging therewith to retract the same against said spring on downward operation of the outer end of said lever.

2. In combination with a door, a latching bolt having a latching head at its outer end and a member located in a vertical plane secured at its inner end, spring means normally acting 011 the bolt to project the latching head outwardly a short distance beyond the edge of the door, a housing plate secured to a side of the door, a lever pivotally mounted on and in front of the housing plate having an outer operating end and an inner end portion extending through the housing plate, an operating member pivotally mounted to turn about a horizontal axis at the inner side of said housing plate, said pivot for the operating member being at the lower end thereof and below said lever, said operating member having an opening therethrough with an inclined side, the inner end of the lever extending into said opening, and a finger extending from the upper end portion of the operating member to and in front of said member at the inner end of the latching bolt, whereby downward depression of the outer end of the lever engaging the inner end thereof against the inclined side of said opening in the operating member moves the operating member and attached finger to retract the latching bolt against said spring.

3. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 2, combined with a handle having its upper end located against the outer side of said housing plate below the lever, said handle extending downwardly and outwardly and then downwardly and inwardly to the door, and said pivot for the operating member comprising a headed screw, said screw passing through the operating member and housing and threaded into the handle, and said housing plate having a boss at its inner side over which the operating member is pivotally mounted and through which the screw passes.

4. A latch construction adapted to be applied to a door comprising, a cylindrical barrel having longitudinal openings in opposite sides thereof, and having an opening at its front end for the passage of a latching bolt, a latching bolt located in the forward portion of said barrel having a head adapted to extend through said front opening, a rod extending inwardly from said head and a fiat metal member secured at the inner end of the rod provided with opposed wings extending outwardly through the openings in the barrel, and manually operable means adapted to be mounted at the outer side of the door to engage with said member in front of one of said wings to retract the bolt, combined with spring means acting on the bolt normally tending to project the same outwardya 5.. In combination with a door, a latch construction adapted to be mounted within said door between opposed sides thereof, including a cylindrical housing or barrel having elongated openings in opposite sides thereof and an opening in its front end, a latching bolt. comprising a latching head extending through said front opening, a rod attached to the head and lying lengthwise of the front portion of said barrel and a fiat metal member having oppositely extending wings secured at the'inner end of the rod, said wings extending outwardly through said openings in the barrel, spring means normally acting on the latching bolt to project the head outwardly, a housing plate secured to the outer side of the door, an operating member movably mounted at the inner side of the housing plate having a finger extending therefrom in front of one of said wings, and means mounted at the outer side of the housing plate engaging with said operating member whereby the operating member and attached finger may be manually moved for said finger to move the latching bolt inwardly against said spring means.

6. In combination, a door, a door latch mounted Within and between the sides of the door including a cylindrical housing or barrel having longitudinal openings in opposite sides thereof and an opening at its front end, a latching bolt mounted in the front portion ofsaid barrel including a latching head pass- I ing through the front opening, a rod extending inwardly from the head and a flat metal member having oppositely extending wings secured to the inner end of the rod, the wings extending of the barrel, an operating member for the latching bolt within said barrel located lengthwise thereof having a disc at its front end, said rod of the latching bolt passing through said disc and said disc in front of said winged member at the inner end of the rod, spring means between the latching head and disc, additional spring means of greater strength than the first mentioned spring means located in saidbarrel between the inner end thereof and the inner end of said operating member, a housing plate secured to the outer side of the door, an operating plate of flat metal located vertically at the inner side of said means pivotally mounting said operating plate at its lower end on said housing plate, a finger extending from the upper end of said operating plate to and between said discand said winged member, and manually operable means mounted at the outer side of the housing plate and extending therethrough to engage with said operating plate to move the same to one side and thereby cause said finger to retract the latch bolt.

through the openings in the sides I being located l housing plate,

7. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 6, combined with a door knob mounted at the opposite side of the door and having a bar attached thereto extending into said barrel, and means interposed between said bar and the operating, member within the barrel for moving both said operating member and the latch bolt inwardly against the force of the additional spring means.

8. In combination with a door, a latching bolt slidably mounted within said door between its sides and adapted to project outwardly at the edge of the door, spring means acting on said bolt to project its outer end a short distance beyond the edge of the door, an operating bar cooperatively associated with the latching bolt whereby rotation of the bar causes movement of the bolt against said spring means, said bar extending through one side of the door, a knob on the end of the bar, a housing plate secured to the other side of the door, means on the inner side of the plate adapted to revolubly support the opposite end of the bar, a lever mounted on and in front of said housing plate and means actuated by said lever for withdrawing the latching bolt against the action of said spring means.

9. In combination with a door or the like, a bolt slidably mounted within said door between its sides and adapted to project outwardly at the edge of the door, a housing plate having a flange extending therefrom, means for fastening the flange against one side of the door whereby a space is formed bet-ween the door and the housing plate, operating means located within the said space, a finger cooperatively associated with said operating means and extending inwardly through the door to the bolt to operate the same in one direction, thumb means mounted upon the said plate for operating the operating means and handle means attached to said plate adj a- J cent said thumb means.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALBERT F. LIGKTEIG. 

